Technique: Reflections

Careful.

Reflections are tricky beasts, because depending on the situation, they can both make or break a photo.

A good reflection of a lake can turn a mountain landscape into something ethereal, just magic, whereas the refection of a portrait photographer himself in a subjects spectacles can just as easily ruin it.

But reflections are everywhere, quite often reflecting an almost psychedelically distorted version of our surroundings, reality seen through a glass darkly.

We’ll meet just off the Ku’damm, where there is an almost limitless supply of glass facade and the city is at its most colourful.

Some examples illustrating the technique

Tips for when on location

Reflections are not only to be found in mirrors and on water, the world is full of small shiny chromed and polished objects, and the city is just full of glass windows too.

Use a relatively small aperture, maybe f/11, this will even out the reflections and minimise depth of field effects, if the shutter speed becomes too slow then increase the ISO to compensate.

Images of reflections are often described as being abstract, so just have fun with it and don’t be afraid to experiment.